Semi-automatic elevator door



Dec. 12, 1961 w. P. JAHN 3,012,636

SEMI-AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR DOOR Filed June 27, 1960 WILL/4M P. JAHN INVE NTOR BY 4 1 ATTORNEY United States Patent @fifice 3,012,636 Patented Dec. 12, 1961 New Jersey Filed June 27, 1960, Ser. No. 39,096

Claims. (Cl. 187-51) This invention relates to elevator door controlling means and is particularly suited to controlling the closing movements of doors of passenger operated elevator cars.

Such elevators are usually used in apartment houses wherein movement of the car is initiated by the passengers actuating push buttons to register demands for service. One or more push buttons is provided at each landing for registering service demands for that landing and a button for each landing is located in the car. The car, when empty, usually parks at the landing at which it has last discharged a passenger to await a subsequent demand for service, which is initiated by actuation of the aforementioned push buttons. A passenger, in exiting from the car, manually opens the car and hoistway doors, the hoistway door reclosing automatically. Although the car door is also arranged to reclose automatically, preferably, mechanism is provided for holding the car door in the position to which it has been manually opened by the exiting passenger so that the passenger is free to open the hoistway door Without interference by a closing car door.

A passenger, entering a car at a landing, may close the car door either forcibly against the action of the holding mechanism or semi-automatically by actuating one of the aforementioned push buttons in the car to release the door holding mechanism, while at the same time registering the landing to which he wishes to travel. Actuation of any of the push buttons located at other landings by intending passengers at such landings also causes the car door to close.

Door control arrangements which include devices for holding the car door in any position to which it has been opened and for semi-automatic control of its closing are set forth in the patents to Basset No. 1,709,301 and Zarafu No. 1,963,430, both of which utilize hydraulic means for effecting control of the car door.

The invention herein disclosed constitutes an improvement upon prior devices of this kind, and provides a greatly simplified unit which is non-hydraulic, positive acting and will continue to operate satisfactorily for long periods of time without need for maintenance.

The invention provides a self-holding device for an elevator car door of the sliding type, which device is nonhydraulic and adapted to maintain the door in any position to which it is manually moved until the device is released by actuation of the aforementioned push buttons which register service demands and initiate movement of the car. The car door may be closed against the action of the self-holding device by the continuous application of a relatively slight manual closing force.

Features and advantages of the invention may be seen from the above, from the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered in conjunction with the drawings and from the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the apparatus of this invention as it appears when associated with a sliding car door; the broken lines indicating the condition of the apparatus for the open position of the car door;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged View of the self-holding de vice of FIGURE 1, shown in its operated condition;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but with the self-holding device shown in its released condition.

Referring to FIGURE 1, 10 designates an elevator car having a door 12 of thesliding type; the open position of door 12 being shown by broken lines. Door operating arms 14, 15 connect door 12 with closing and checking apparatus supported on mounting brackets 17 bolted to the top of car 10.

The door closing and checking apparatus comprises a rectangular metal plate 19 pivotably secured at one end to mounting brackets 1'7. That end of plate 19 is also rigidly secured to door operating arm 15, while its other end has bolted thereto weights 20 in the form of metal plates, biasing door 12 toward its closed position. A longitudinal bar 22 of substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape is pivotally connected at one end to the weighted end of plate 19. Bar 22 extends through a self-holding device, generally designated 24, pivotably mounted on brackets 17.

Also mounted on brackets 17 and connected to plate 19 are a conventional fluid type door damper 26 and a cam actuated switch, generally designated 28. This switch is actuated to its closed condition by movement of plate 19 when car door 12 arrives at its fully closed position, and is utilized in the car start circuits to prevent move ment of the car until door 12 is fully closed.

Self-holding device 24 is shown in detail in FIGURE 2 and comprises a housing 31 through which bar 22 extends. Bar 22 is fitted into a channel formed between member 33 positioned at one side of bar 22 and members 34, 35 rigidly secured to housing 31 at the opposite side of bar 22. Member 33 is pivotably secured on one end to housing 31, its free end being biased against the contiguous side of bar 22 by compression spring 37 adjustably mounted on threaded stud 38, which in turn is fastened to housing 31. An adjusting stud 40 threaded on one end into member 33 and secured thereto by means of locking nut 41 extends at its other end through an aperture 42 formed in housing 31 and co-operates with out 43 to limit the force with which spring 37 pushes mem+ ber 33 against bar 22 and in turn bar 22 against stationary members 34, 35. Locking nut 44 threaded onto the protruding end of stud 40 prevents rotation of adjusting nut 43. v

A solid metal rod or cylinder 49 is positioned between stationary members 34, 35 and is fitted between bar 22 and a pendulant member48 pivoted at its upper end to housing 31. Also mounted in housing 31 is an electro magnet 50 having an armature 52. Armature 52 is connectedby means of link 54 to a lever 56, one end of which is pivotably secured to housing 31 and the other end of which has an adjustable stop 60 secured thereto.

As has been previously stated, self-holding device 24 is shown in FIGURE 2 in its operated condition. Electromagnet 50 isin de-energized condition and stop 60 is in engagement with the free end of pendulant member 48, pressing that member against cylinder 49 (in solid outline). In this position, member 48 togetherwith the adjacent side of bar 22 forms a wedge-shaped cavity into which cylinder 49 may be wedged to exert a restraining. force on bar 22. V v

A passenger in order to exit from the elevator car: manually moves door 12 toward its open position against the closing. bias of weights 20 and the rather slight restraining frictional forces exerted upon bar 22 by members 33, 34 and 35. As door 12 is moved in the opening direction, plate 19 rotates clockwise, actuating switch 28 to its open position (to disable thecar start circuits). Bar 22 moves upwardly, causing cylinder 49 to roll up wardly (broken line position) out of the aforementioned wedge-shaped cavity, thereby releasing bar 22. Atthe 3 same, self-holding device 24 is rotated counterclockwise by bar 22.

As soon as the opening force applied by the passenger is removed, biasing weights tend to move the door toward closed position, causing bar 22 to move downwardly and again wedge cylinder 49 between member 48 and bar 22. The frictional forces applied to bar 22 by the action of compression spring 37 are limited (by means of adjusting stud 40) so as to be barely sufficient in magnitude to overcome the tendency of weights 20 to move the door toward its closed position. The door therefore is held in the position to which it has been manually opened.

A passenger entering the car and desiring to travel to another landing may manually close the door by applying only a relatively slight closing force, since, as has been stated, the restraining forces applied by the action of spring 37 and cylinder 49 are preset so as to overcome barely the closing bias of weights 20. Alternatively, the passenger may actuate one of the ear push buttons corresponding to the landing to which he desires to travel. This actuation momentarily energizes electromagnet 50 which moves its armature 52 to operated condition (FIG- URE 4), moving link 54 upwardly. Lever 56 rotates counterclockwise, moving stop 60 out of engagement with pendulant member 48, thereby relieving the pressure exerted on bar 22 by wedged in cylinder 49, allowing cylinder 49 to fall downwardly against stationary member 35. Self-holding device 24 is now in released condition and the door, under the influence of biasing weights 29, moves toward its closed position.

As electromagnet 50 releases, its armature 52 returns toward its unoperated position (shown by broken lines in FIGURE 4) and lever 56 rotates clockwise until stop 60 again rests on pendulant member 48. Cylinder 49 is in its lowermost position and member 48 is in substantially parallel alignment with bar 22. Cylinder 49 is not wedged between member 48 and bar 22 and does not exert a restraining force on bar 22. Door 12 thus moves freely toward its closed position; the force exerted by spring 37 on bar 22 being insufiicient in itself to prevent closing movement of the door.

Bar 22 moves downwardly maintaining cylinder 49 in its lowermost position. Should a passenger merely stop the door while it is closing and then release it, the door will resume closing under the influence of weights 20. However, should a passenger not only stop the closing movement of the door, but also move it slightly toward its open position, plate 19 rotates clockwise, causing bar 22 to move upwardly. Bar 22 in moving upwardly rolls cylinder 49 upwardly out of its lowermost position. Lever 56, under the influence of gravity, rotates clockwise, stop 60 pushing the free end of pendulant member 48 toward bar 22. When the passenger releases the door, plate 19, under the influence of weights 20, again tends to rotate counterclockwise to close the door, causing bar 22 to move downwardly, forcing cylinder 49 into the aforementioned wedge-shaped cavity, thereby gripping bar 22 to prevent closing movement of the door.

As has been previously stated, the forces preventing the closing of the door may be easily overcome by the passenger by the continuous application of a relatively slight manual closing force. Alternatively, the passenger may again actuate a push button in the car.

If the car is left at one landing with its car door opened and the next intending passenger desires to use the car from a different landing, the pushing of the call button at his landing causes actuation of electromagnet 50 and the release of the wedge action of cylinder 49, in the manner previously described for the car button. The door closes under action of weight 20 and cam actuated switch 28 is moved to its closed position to restore the car actuation circuits to their operated condition to allow the car to move to the new location.

As changes can be made in the above described construction and many apparently different embodiments of this invention can be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown on the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for controlling a horizontally sliding type door comprising means biasing said door toward its closed position, mechanism connected to said biasing means and effective for holding said door stationary against the action of said biasing means in any position to which said door is Opened, said mechanism including a self-holding friction device adjusted for applying a frictional restraining force to said biasing means of a magnitude suflicient to nullify the effect of said bias but insuflicient to hamper manual movement of said door toward its closed position, and electromechanical means effective when energized for rendering said holding mechanism ineffective, whereby said door moves toward its closed position under the effect of said biasing means.

2. An elevator door closer comprising an L-shaped member having two arms at substantially right angles, said member being pivoted in the shorter of the two arms and near their junction, one of said arms being adapted for connection at its free end to a sliding door such that its connected end is capable of movement corresponding to opening and closing movement of said door, said shorter arm being mechanically biased in a direction such that when unrestrained the operating arm moves toward its closed position, a rigid longitudinal member pivotally attached to said shorter arm near its outer end, a friction applying device pivotally secured to the same structure on which said L-shaped member is pivotally secured, said friction applying device embracing said rigid longitudinal member in such fashion that said rigid longitudinal member may move freely therein in the direction corresponding to opening movement of the door and become selfrestraining when moved in a direction corresponding to closing movement of said door, and electromechanical means responsive to the registration of a call for service of an elevator car carrying said connected door for removing said self-restraining character of said friction applying device.

3. In combination with a door adapted for sidewise movement to open and close an entranceway, a door operating arm pivotally secured to said door, a weighted lever rigidly connected to said door operating arm and tending to effect closing of said door, a bar pivotally connected at one end to said weighted lever, restraining mechanism in frictional engagement with said bar, said restraining mechanism being actuated by opening movement of said door from a first condition to a second condition for increasing said frictional engagement sufficiently when said door is released for preventing said weighted lever from effecting the door closing but the door may be moved toward its closed position by the application of a relatively slight manual closing force, and release means effective when actuated for causing said mechanism to return to said first condition to cause said weighted lever to effect the door closing.

4. In combination with an elevator car serving a plurality of landings in a building, said car having a door adapted for sidewise movement for opening and closing the entranceway to said car; a door operating arm pivotally secured on one end to said car door; a lever weighted on one end and rigidly secured at its other end to said operating arm, said lever being fulcrumed intermediate its ends on said car so as to move said car door toward closed position; a rectangularly shaped bar pivotally secured at one end to said weighted end of said lever; a housing pivotally mounted on said car; mechanism mounted in said housing, said mechanism including two spaced members between which said bar is disposed in sliding engagement therewith, one of said members being movably mounted relative to said housing, means including a compression spring pressing said movable member against one side of said bar and adjusted to exert a restraining force on said bar sufficient to decrease to a certain amount the force exerted on said door by said weighted lever, and frictional holding means in engagement with the side of said bar disposed oppositely from said one side, said holding means being actuated from a released bar, a link member rotatably mounted at one end to said housing and having a free end pushing said pendulant member toward said oppositely disposed side of said bar so that said pendulant member forms an acute angle therewith, a metal cylinder positioned between said pendulant member and said oppositely disposed side, whereby downward movement of said bar causes said cylinder to roll downwardly and become wedged against said bar exerting a restraining force thereon, linkage connecting said link member to said armature, whereby under conditions Where said electromechanical means is momentarily energized, said link member is momentarily rotated out of contact with said pendulant member allowing said cylinder to fall downwardly, and a stop secured to said housing for limiting downward movement of said cylinder when thus freed, the dimensions of said cylinder being such as to maintain said link member in substantially parallel relation with said bar when said cylinder is in its lowermost position against said stop.

No references cited. 

